Wisconsinites will vote for state Assembly and Senate candidates in the general election Nov. 5, 2024.
This is the first election under newly-competitive district maps.
What do the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly do?
The Wisconsin Legislature is made up of 99 Assembly representatives and 33 Senators from across Wisconsin. Together, they have the power to create, amend and repeal laws.
The Legislature plays a major role in deciding how to use taxpayer-funded state revenue every two years in the biennial budget. Whether more or less money is spent on education, economic development, tax relief — that is decided by the majority in the Legislature, along with Wisconsin's governor, who has to sign the budget, and other bills, into law.
What's at stake?
The Wisconsin Legislature has been firmly controlled by Republicans for more than a decade, under gerrymandered legislative maps.
Those maps were thrown out by the liberal-majority Wisconsin Supreme Court last year, which prompted the Legislature to approve new maps proposed by Gov. Tony Evers.
Democrats now have a chance of winning the majority in the Assembly, if they win a handful competitive districts.
In the Senate, only half of the seats are up for election, which means Republicans are likely to hold a majority in that chamber for the next two years at least. But Democrats are still working to flip some of the seats.
Assembly District 64
Assembly District 64 covers the northeast corner of Kenosha County, including all of the village of Somers and the northern half of the city of Kenosha.
Democrat Tip McGuire was drawn into the new District 64. He is running for re-election against Republican Ed Hibsch.
According to WisPolitics, the district leans approximately 56% Democratic.
Meet the candidates
Ed Hibsch (Republican)
Ed Hibsch did not respond to WUWM's candidate questions. The information below is from his campaign website and Facebook page.
Ed Hibsch is a former Wisconsin State Assembly candidate, entrepreneur, and Kenosha native. His priorities include "empowering parents" in education, supporting police and fire services, and helping small businesses, along with reducing inflation, taxes, and government spending.
"I'm running because we deserve fewer career politicians and need more real world solutions," he says on his Facebook page.
Hibsch challenged Democrat Tip McGuire for the District 64 Assembly seat in 2020 and 2022.
"It breaks our heart to see so many families struggling and out of work. I understand the struggle of paying a mortgage, trying to find affordable health insurance, paying taxes, and getting Kids through school. Your current State Representative can’t relate to you and me. That’s why I’m running, we need more elected officials with real world experience."
Tip McGuire (Democrat)
Tip McGuire did not respond to WUWM's candidate questions. The information below is from his campaign website.
Tip McGuire has served since 2019 as a representative for District 64 in the Wisconsin State Assembly. His platform emphasizes support for working families and small businesses, a comprehensive approach to public safety, investment in public schools, and expanding access to affordable healthcare.
"Having lived here my whole life, it has been a privilege to watch our community continue to grow and prosper and I am committed to continuing this growth and ensuring the greater Kenosha and Racine area remains Wisconsin’s top region," McGuire says on his website.
Before he was elected, McGuire served as a legislative aide for former state representative Peter Barca. McGuire used to work as a special prosecutor in the Kenosha District Attorney's Office, and an assistant district attorney for Milwaukee County.
"My top priority in the legislature has been to restore the path to economic security for the working families and the middle class. I pledge to continue my work to ensure that working families have good paying jobs, healthy and high-quality schools, safe neighborhoods, and access to affordable healthcare."
Have questions about other candidates on your ballot? Read about the candidates in your Wisconsin Senate district here:
